Disclaimer: I do not own the Final Fantasy series, Square Enix, and any of their characters. (Yeah, we all wish that we own them.) The storyline and new characters (Millea, Daine, etc.) are the ones that I own.
Note: What? I think I have no notes for my very first chapter… Anyways, just read through the whole chapter and I wish you stay for more after this! I'll be updating soon… Happy reading!
Final Fantasy VIII: Wounds of Time
ACT
1
BEGINNING OF PATHWAYS
Chapter I - A Festival of All Sorts
It has been five years since Squall, Rinoa and their friends have defeated Ultimecia. The planet, Eterna, had been recovering from the wounds that had pierced it, but it is only in the process. It is still far from recovery. But is recovery, and more so, the future, guaranteed? They are not, unless you already know what happens next.
The sun was just starting to set, but Balamb Garden was already lit with colorful lights that glittered radiantly. Beautiful decorations hung from the windows and walls of the Garden such as banners that said "The most exciting day of the year!" or "If you miss this, you'll be sad like a malboro." Fancy lanterns in the form of different shapes dangled from the light posts as they created beautiful light effects. The Garden walls were painted with grand and multicolored murals that you could just sit and stare at them for hours.
Booths and tents of all kinds lined up the Garden grounds, and the place looked like a carnival. Various kinds of talent shows took place in the event, and many moogles, chobobos and moombas are seen wandering around the festival. There even was a Ferris wheel at the very center of the grounds, and the line of people that waited to ride it never diminished. Energy and enthusiasm just surged at this time, for it was the Balamb Garden Festival of the year.
Different sorts of noise resonated everywhere at the festival. There were bells ringing; drums thumping; voices chattering; hundreds of feet thudding; it sure was a lively event. Screams from civilians were also occasionally heard that signaled trouble. Big speakers were scattered throughout the area as music loudly played through them. The current song, "Simple and Clean", hyped the people even more.
When the song changed to "Show Me Your Hotdogs," a guy with many kiss marks on his face on the other side of the happening hummed merrily to the beat inside the Kissing Booth. He had blonde hair and a tattoo covered the left side of his face. His name was Zell Dincht.
"Come right up! Come right up! Kisses only for 5 gil!" shouted the man at the girls who passed by.
At the Moomba Show entrance booth sat Quistis Trepe, a tall woman who had orange hair and fair skin. She constantly smiled to the people who passed her and didn't let one person go inside unpaid. As Monty the Moomba's show prepared to start, familiar faces stood outside the booth and asked for tickets. They were headmaster Squall Leonhart and his girlfriend, Rinoa Heartilly.
"Hey! How's the festival?" asked Quistis the couple who arrived.
"It's great! We're riding the Ferris wheel after we watch the show. You should come," replied the beautiful black-haired woman with an eager smile.
"Again? Give me a rest. We've been there for three times already," said the man beside her. He had brown untidy hair that covered the scar on his forehead.
"But Squall-
Quistis shook her head. "Thanks Rinoa, but I think I'll pass. I have so much stuff to do after this. And besides, I wouldn't want to disturb you and the headmaster here."
The couple blushed.
"Wha-
"Whatever," said Quistis before the word was even finished. "Just like always."
"Two tickets," said Squall before anyone could start to speak again.
"Two tickets it is," said Quistis. "Have a good time!"
The festival continued on for hours. As the night grew deeper, the crowd started to increase as people from Balamb Town started to join the Festival. Reporters from Timber also arrived as they captured the joyous event that was taking place. The people grew more enthusiastic and waved at the reporters just to be seen on the television.
When it was nearing midnight, the crowd started to gather near the decorated stage that was just rebuilt on the quad. Many of the booths and tents were already closing, and most of the talent shows of the festival already ended. The people that worked in the booths were finally finished their jobs for the day and they delightedly joined the crowd in front of the stage. The lengthy waiting line for the Ferris wheel was finally gone, and it also has shut down as the Garden prepared for the grand finale of the night.
A SeeD nervously sat at the backstage of the quad as she waited for the commencement signal of the concert. As seconds slowly passed by, a tall and dark-haired instructor finally approached her behind the curtains. The SeeD being deep in thoughts, the instructor mildly surprised her and made her sit on the nearest chair.
"Whoa… What's up?" said the SeeD as she sat on the chair. She tried to hide her anxiety and put on a smiling face.
The tall, blonde-haired male instructor grinned widely, as he knew she was faking her smile. He then started to speak.
"So, are you ready Millea? The band's waiting outside."
Her anxiety still growing, the SeeD fixed her wavy red hair for the tenth time in a row. She closed her green eyes and started to think. After some seconds went by, Millea Renecus finally looked at the man facing her, and her mouth crumbled as she opened it to speak. At first, no sound came out. With her second try, she finally got something to say.
"D-D-Daine, what do you think? Of course I'm ready."
"You sure?"
Millea shakily laughed. This was her first concert in her whole life, and she didn't want to mess up one tiny word while she sang. She figured that if the crowd noticed that she had made a mistake, they would 'boo' her and that would be the end of her performance.
The female SeeD stood up. "Y-Yeah... I'm greatly, positively, entirely ready. I've never been that nervous before-
When her spirit was just starting to rise, her words were halted as the guy pushed the curtain aside a few inches. The girl saw the huge crowd waiting for her. People were getting anxious and started to scream, and she was immediately scared that it caused her to sit on the chair again. She tightly clutched the arm rest of the chair.
"Uh, I never knew the Garden had this much people."
Daine Feryl smirked. "Well, people from the town and from other places came too, so that's why the crowd is so big."
Millea got on her feet again and started to peek behind the curtains. Once more, she scanned the horde of people. As the glistening fountain drew her attention, she noticed the reporters that lurked among the crowd as they recorded a video. The wide-eyed SeeD let go of the curtain and faced the man.
"And there're also reporters! I'm on TV!"
"You didn't know?"
Millea tried to calm herself. She straightened her jacket and fixed her hair once again. Even though her boots were clean, she dusted it off one more time. The girl looked at a mirror and made sure that nothing dirty was on her face. The woman sighed for one final time. "Okay. Let's do this."
"Good luck! I know you'll do great!" remarked Daine as she stepped out of the backstage.
The host announced her name as the SeeD was finally on stage. She took a few seconds to look at the mass of people. The audience started to grow louder and several people shouted her name. They waited for her performance.
She approached the microphone and gulped. Then, the girl started to speak. "This is my very first performance in my entire life, and I hope you people like it. This is 'Eyes on Me' written by Julia Heartilly."
As the girl started to sing, the noise that came from the audience lowered down a bit. Many of them knew of the song before, and it wasn't exactly a song that would make you jump off your feet. It was a bittersweet song, and it was written before Rinoa's mother died on a car crash.
"Whenever sang my songs,
On the stage, on my own
Whenever said my words,
Wishing they would be heard
"My mother's song…" remarked Rinoa as she was embraced by Squall. They leaned on a lamp post as they watched the show. As the SeeD continued to sing, Rinoa looked stern and was deep in thoughts.
"Why do you think your mother wrote this song?" asked Squall to his girlfriend. He turned to face Rinoa and saw her peaceful, shimmering eyes.
Rinoa eyed him back. "My father said that it was dedicated to someone she loved before they met."
The man started to wonder as he curled his forehead a slight inch. "I wonder who it was…"
I saw you smiling at me
Was it real or just my fantasy?
You'd always be there in the corner
Of this tiny little bar
Millea's confidence grew as she sang further into the song. She now managed to smile, and grabbed the microphone out of the microphone stand. The girl started to pace around the stage while she eyed her audience, and her devotion to music was evidently seen. Within seconds, she seemingly transformed into a singer that had years of experience. The audience didn't scare her anymore and she felt as if she was one with them.
My last night here for you
Same old songs, just once more
My last night here with you
Maybe yes, maybe no?
Squall turned to glance at Rinoa once more. Tears were strolling down from her eyes to her cheeks as she remembered her mother. Julia died early in Rinoa's life, and he knew that it must have been sad having no mother at the later parts of her life. She sobbed as her boyfriend stared at her.
"I miss her…" Rinoa said softly. She embraced her man even more tightly as she continued to cry in his shoulders.
"Don't worry… I'll always be here for you. I won't ever leave you…" he assured her with a deep and caring voice.
I kind of liked it your way
How you shyly placed your eyes on me
Oh, did you ever know?
That I had mine on you
Darling, so there you are
With that look on your face
As if you're never-
The song was interrupted. Screams were heard in the lobby, and she immediately became worried of the situation. The singer gazed at the direction of the voice, and a word that was familiar rang through the Garden.
"SORCERESSES!"
With that notion, clouds of smoke rose from the entrance of the Garden. An earsplitting sound that hinted an explosion was perceived, and that made a commotion among the audience. There clearly was trouble, and the headmaster swiftly went to the stage and got the microphone from Millea.
"Please don't panic… We're not sure of the situation yet, so I would kindly ask for you to remain here in the quad," he told the crowd who was starting to get suspicious of what was happening. "Quistis, Zell, Millea, Errol, and Fiona, come with me. Other SeeDs and instructors remain here and stand guard on the entrance of the quad."
As Squall and the others headed out for the corridor, Rinoa loomed at Squall and touched his arm. The pack was halted in their tracks, and they made room for them to talk privately.
"Be safe," she said briskly yet worryingly as the girl looked into his eyes once more.
"I will," he alleged. After he made his promise, he and the other five people he called resumed running towards the circular hallway of the Garden.
On the Quad, there were numerous questions and statements that were distinguished among the crowd. They were panicking and were almost out of control.
"What's happening?"
"Is it really true?"
"Are there really sorceresses in here?"
"We're gonna die!"
"We should go now!"
"I knew I shouldn't have come!"
To reduce the uproar, instructor Daine stepped up onto the stage with other entertainers, some moombas, moogles and chocobos. They were going to try their luck and make the audience happy once again. If they don't succeed, then even more complications might happen as the audience might run away and check out the cause of the screams. He arranged the cute creatures in line and whispered to the other entertainers. After their plan was finished, he went for the microphone and widely smiled at the audience.
"Welcome to the fantastic world of Final Fantasy!"
With that line, he caught some of the audience's attention and the noise started to die down a fraction. His plans were going great, and he could only hope for the funniest show he could ever make.
On the corridors, the headmaster and his company ran as quickly as they could. All of them had their weapons out; Quistis clutched her whip; Zell clad with his gloves as always; Millea with her staff; Errol gripping his axe; Fiona equipped with her kris; and Squall holding his gun blade.
"What do you think this is?" said Quistis as they ran to the lobby.
Millea grinned a bit. She wanted to lighten the atmosphere by believing that the commotion wasn't real. "It's probably a stupid joke by the Joke Committee."
Zell clenched his fists and rubbed his nose.
"Heh. If it were them, then let me smack their asses!"
Squall suddenly looked serious. He didn't want to think that it's real, but he couldn't stop thinking about the sorceresses. "Let's hope it's them."
As they came to the opening of the lobby, unwanted scenery stumbled upon them. Injured guards and several students were lying on the floor unconscious. The water of the fountain was frozen. The smell of fire was present in the air. Shards of cement lay clattered around. Several statues were cracked or broken. Numerous lights in the ceiling were blinking, and it was clear that the gate was blasted open.
A sweet and nasty voice greeted them out of the blue.
"More lokusts, I see."
The voice came from a blue-gowned woman with a long black hair. As Squall had assumed, there were sorceresses in the Garden. However, in his mind, he thought that there were probably only two or three. But in this case, the group of sorceresses was composed of ten. He and his comrades were surprised by this and were halted in their tracks.
"Who're you calling lokusts!" yelled Zell. He went into a battle stance and threw his fists up in the air.
Quistis held back Zell's arm to stop him from attacking. She slowly whispered to his ear. "Calm down Zell. Think before you do something. They're sorceresses."
"She's right," Millea said softly behind him.
When the anxious tattooed SeeD had finally backed down, Squall whispered to the SeeD named Errol beside him. "Go inform Xu and say that there are sorceresses in here."
The young lad replied with a nod and quickly ran to the corridor that led to the quad. Several sorceresses smirked because of this action, and a dark-haired sorceress yelled after him. "Run fast, boy!"
Not one of the sorceresses stopped the SeeD from going to the quad. As the lad was gone from sight, Squall stepped forward and questioned the sorceresses with a calm voice. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Behind him, Quistis moved her hands in different patterns. A transparent red light covered the group as she whispered "Shell!" She wanted to be cautious as she knew that there was going to be a dangerous battle ahead of them. And knowing their enemies, they frequently used magic in fights.
"Ooh… a low-level magic," uttered a yellow-gowned sorceress to the right of the leader as she noticed Quistis casting the spell. The woman then started to move her hands in different patterns as well. After the formations, she muttered, "Protect!" A light blue barrier covered the group of sorceresses to protect them from physical attacks.
When no one answered Squall's inquiry, he shouted, "Answer my question!"
The sorceress in blue grinned. She swept the fragments off her hair and dress. As she ended cleaning herself, she gazed directly at the headmaster and his allies. "We were just looking for something. You aren't mad, are you?"
A blonde-haired sorceress that stood beside the leader giggled. The woman approached her leader and gently murmured in her ear. "Oh, I think the lokust is."
Squall repeated his question with a vigorous voice. "What are you searching for?"
"What are we searching for? Hmm… I think I forgot. Let me think."
"Then think fast!"
The entire group of sorceress laughed. They were amused by how Squall reacted to their presence. They continued their happiness for a matter of seconds until the glove-wielding SeeD stomped his feet.
"What's so funny huh? I'll bet you'll be laughing when we beat the crap out of you!" Zell remarked to stop the laughing of the sorceresses.
His speech worked, and the laughter of the intruders ceased. The sorceress's leader finally talked again. She once more used her sweet voice but this time with a more serious tone. "Since you want some answers."
Blue light started to gather around the hands of the sorceress in the front. Small icicles started to appear above her, and she waved her hands in dissimilar directions as she started to form something. Tiny figures of two women were finally clear, and Squall and the others tried to make out who the figurines of ice represented.
Millea gasped. "That looks like-
Squall's eyes widened as the sorceress finished crafting the figurines of ice. He knew who the figures were and he knew he couldn't be wrong about it.
Fragments of ice shot everywhere as the icy figurines diminished. She then stepped forward to finally respond to Squall's question. "We're looking for Rinoa and Ellone."
A/N: I edited the first chapter! I hope you like the revisions I made… Comments? Suggestions? Questions? All will be widely accepted!
